Music Trades articles from November 2008

Music Trades archives from November 2008

Quarterly retail sales data.(Market Intelligence)
November 1, 2008... QUARTERLY RETAIL SALES DATA % CHANGE FROM EST. 2007-2008 PRODUCT CATEGORY PREVIOUS YEAR DOLLAR VOLUME FRETTED INSTRUMENTS THREE MONTHS ENDED SEP. 30, 2008 3.8% ...

Music clearly outperforms the general economy.(Market Intelligence)
November 1, 2008... RECENT FIGURES REPORTED BY COMPANIES and retailers across the country show that automobile sales are plummeting, airline traffic is dropping, restaurant chains are struggling to fill tables, and customers are sparse in stores. And in recent...

Quarterly retail sales by region.(MARKET INTELLIGENCE)
November 1, 2008... QUARTERLY RETAIL SALES BY REGION WEST TOTAL STORE SALES -1.1% Fretted Instruments 2.2% Instrument Amplifiers .6% Sound Products -3.9% MIDI Products -3.6% Percussion Products -1.8%...

iPhone based musical instrument.(Industry Briefings)
November 1, 2008... Brian Eno, the father of ambient music and one of the more cerebral rockers, has teamed up with musician/programmer Peter Chilvers to create a unique musical instrument application to the top-selling Apple iPhone. Unlike most music-creation...

Canadian prime minister proposes arts tax credit.(Industry Briefings)
November 1, 2008... Canada's Conservative leader, Stephen Harper, is targeting families--and hoping to assuage the angered arts community--by promising a new tax credit for childhood arts programs. As his party is being criticized for cutting arts and culture,...

DJ hero game in the works.(Industry Briefings)
November 1, 2008... Hoping to emulate the success of Guitar Hero, the top-selling music videogame, Genius Products is in the process of developing Scratch: The Ultimate DJ. Quincy Jones, who is the music consultant for the game explains, "With the recent success...

Woman fends off burglars with horn.(Industry Briefings)
November 1, 2008... The Associated Press reports that a woman used a musical instrument to defend herself against away two men who broke into her home near Knoxville, Tennessee. The Knoxville News Sentinel quoted a Sevier County Sheriff's Office report that stated...

School of Rock opens in Michigan.(Industry Briefings)
November 1, 2008... The Paul Green School of Rock Music, which recently opened in St. Clair Shores, Michigan, is for musicians of all levels looking to hone their skills and become rock stars. The School first came to Michigan when it opened in Rochester this past...

Henry Steinway and industry commitment.(EDITORIAL)
November 1, 2008... When school closed down each year, Henry Steinway's wife Polly would take their five kids up to their house in Vermont for the summer, leaving him behind to tend to business at Steinway & Sons. Alone in New York, Henry was a regular summer...

JBL sound powers Beijing Olympics: Harman gear installed at 12 Olympic venues.(FOREFRONT)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] JBL HELPED BRING about one of the most watched global media events of the year in the 2008 Summer Olympics opening ceremony in Beijing. JBL Vertec line arrays, Crown I-Tech amplifiers, and Soundcraft Vi6 digital...

Fender showcase opens in Italy: Fender.(FOREFRONT)
November 1, 2008... IN A JOINT EFFORT with Italian distributor M. Casale Bauer, Fender Musical Instruments Corporation has opened the Fender Custom Shop Showcase Italy in Bologna. It becomes the third such international exclusive Fender guitar destination, joining...

Buffet acquires historic Leblanc clarinet plant.(FLASH)
November 1, 2008... THE ARGOS SODITIC GROUP, the owner of Buffet Crampon, has reached an agreement with Conn-Selmer to purchase the Leblanc clarinet plant in La Couture Boussey, France. The factory, which employs 35, will be owned by a newly formed enterprise,...

Reunion Blues brings Vintage Guitar Roadshow to San Francisco retailer.(FOREFRONT)
November 1, 2008... ON ANTIQUES ROADSHOW, the popular PBS television program, guests are often thrilled when experts determine that the old dresser, tea set, or ottoman they've discovered in their attic is worth far more than they imagined. The Reunion Blues gig...

North American dealers hold annual meeting: Bosendorfer.(FOREFRONT)
November 1, 2008... BOSENDORFER DEALERS from across North America gathered in Las Vegas for the Annual Bosendorfer Dealers Meeting August 9-10. The two-day gathering was led by Worldwide Sales Director Andreas Kaufmann and included presentations on new sales and...

Schimmel K 122 wins coveted Diapason Award.(FOREFRONT)
November 1, 2008... THE SCHIMMEL KONZERT upright piano K 122 Elegance has been honored with the "Diapason d'or" (or, "Golden Tuning Fork") award by the French magazine Diapason. This is the second international quality recognition for the K 122 Elegance, which...

Proel invests in new logistics hub to better serve global market.(FOREFRONT)
November 1, 2008... THE PROEL GROUP recently completed construction on a 130,000-square-foot facility to designed to distribute products all over the world from a single hub. The Proel Group is a leader in the design and distribution of audio, video, and lighting...

Taylor Guitars taps Yamaha for Japanese distribution.(FLASH)
November 1, 2008... TAYLOR GUITARS HAS FORMED a strategic distribution partnership with Japan's oldest and foremost distributor of musical instruments, Yamano Music Company. The agreement will facilitate expanded distribution of Taylor guitar models and...

Lowrey explores new markets at annual AARP event.(FOREFRONT)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] LOWREY MADE AN IMPACT at the National AARP LIFE @ 50+ Event and Expo held in Washington DC September 4-6. The three-day event drew more than 27,000 50+ folks from around the country who took in dozens of seminars,...

Mouthpiece maker jj Babbitt marks 90th anniversary in 2009.(FOREFRONT)
November 1, 2008... THE JJ BABBIT COMPANY, a leading producer of mouthpieces for clarinet and saxophone, will celebrate its 90th anniversary in 2009. Founded in 1919 by inventor and amateur photographer Jesse James Babbitt, the company began in Babbitt's two-stall...

Data Developers Plus assets acquired: Retail Business Solutions.(FOREFRONT)
November 1, 2008... RETAIL BUSINESS SOLUTIONS, LLC, has acquired all intellectual property rights, software products, and other business assets of Data Developers Plus Corp. of Houston, Texas. "This is a major strategic expansion of our business," said Alan D....

Historic piano plant razed for parking lot.(FOREFRONT)
November 1, 2008... REFLECTING THE RAPID pace of change and the sweeping transformation of the piano industry, a portion of the former Aeolian American piano factory in East Rochester, New York, is being razed to make way for an expanded parking lot for a new...

New B2B website goes live: WD Music.(FOREFRONT)(Website overview)
November 1, 2008... WD MUSIC HAS UNVEILED a new B2B website for direct online wholesale purchasing. This new site will allow dealers to access products and pricing in a way that was heretofore unavailable. Products are now accompanied by enhanced descriptions,...

Samson uses "microsite" to showcase Hartke HyDrive line.(FOREFRONT)
November 1, 2008... IN RESPONSE TO the enthusiasm surrounding the release of the new HyDrive line from Hartke, the team at Samson Technologies has put together a microsite devoted solely to HyDrive gear and the artists that use it. WhyHyDrive.com is a...

Patent approved on ergonomic drumstick: Hornets.(FOREFRONT)
November 1, 2008... HORNETS DRUMSICKS HAS received approval from the United States Patent and Trademark Office on the issuance of a patent for Hornets' ergonomic drumstick (USPTO Application No. 11/367,574), filed on March 3, 2006. "We have been manufacturing...

Next Gretsch Greats winners announced: The Gretsch Company.(FOREFRONT)
November 1, 2008... WORLD-RENOWNED DRUM and guitar manufacturer The Gretsch Company has announced the top winners in the Next Gretsch Greats Unsigned Artist Competition, an online search for the world's best unsigned and independent bands. The competition began in...

Redesigned website goes online: Hamilton Stands.(FOREFRONT)(Website overview)
November 1, 2008... CELEBRATING 125 YEARS in business, Hamilton Stands recently went live with a redesigned website. This easy-to-navigate new site categorizes Hamilton's many products into related groups with suggested retail prices. The home page features a...

Daisy Rock sponsors GoGirls MusicFest.
November 1, 2008... DAISY ROCK, the original girl-guitar company dedicated to supplying and marketing pro-quality guitars for females, was a proud sponsor of the Ninth Annual LA GoGirls MusicFest. Benefiting UNOS (United Network of Organ Sharing, www.unos.org),...

Hal Leonard forms Chinese joint venture: taking advantage of the new Chinese emphasis on music education.(FOREFRONT)
November 1, 2008... STAKING OUT A POSITION in the emerging Chinese music market, Hal Leonard Corporation has formed a joint venture with Beijing-based People's Music Publishing House, one of the largest music publishers in China. The pact was announced by Hal...

Martin Guitar marks 175th with "My favorite Martin" CD.(FOREFRONT)
November 1, 2008... C.F. Martin & Co. has released a new CD titled My Favorite Martin. The album features 16-tracks, all recorded on Martin instruments and Martin signature model guitars owned by the individual artists, many of which were written or recorded...

Hohner & Allegro sign distribution deals: Hal Leonard.(FOREFRONT)
November 1, 2008... HAL LEONARD IS NOW a distributor of Hohner USA and Allegro Multimedia, Inc. In an agreement negotiated with Hohner USA, Hal Leonard will distribute Hohner harmonicas in unique packaging to its customer base. Under an exclusive deal signed with...

Bourgeois Guitars stars at Bluegrass Awards.(FLASH)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] BOURGEOIS GUITARS endorser Darrin Vincent and partner Jamie Dailey (pictured above) took home an unprecedented seven awards at this year's Bluegrass Music Awards. In addition to Entertainer of the Year, they received...

Publicly traded industry firms.(FOREFRONT)
November 1, 2008... PUBLICLY TRADED INDUSTRY FIRMS PRICE As OF P/E OCT. 10, 2008 RATIO Apple Computer Inc. $98.42 19.09 Avid Technology...

High-end pickup option for D'Aquisto Guitars: SFDistribution.(FOREFRONT)
November 1, 2008... SFDISTRIBUTION, LLC, the U.S. distributor of D'Aquisto Guitars, is now offering Kent Armstrong's handmade pickups as a pickup exchange option to U.S. dealers. Known for their fine craftsmanship and detailing, D'Aquisto guitars will perform to...

Kingston Series website goes online: MTD.(FOREFRONT)
November 1, 2008... THE MTD KINGSTON Series of basses has a new home on the internet: www.mtdkingston.com. This is a milestone for the Kingston Series, which formerly shared space on the www.mtdbass.com site. Booming sales, critical acclaim, and consumer loyalty...

After police chase, freak crash ignites devastating fire at Morgan Music: "the Great American Acoustic Shop" consumed in blaze, but founder Mike Morgan is undeterred.(RETAILER UPDATE: NEWS FROM THE RETAILER FRONT LINES)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] THERE'S NOTHING LEFT of the Morgan Music building on Washington Avenue in Lebanon, Missouri. Just after 8 P.M. on September 4, a van speeding south on Highway 5 plowed through Morgan's showroom, engulfing the store...

Island Music opens in la Plata Maryland: founder Keith Grasso finds the pull of guitars irresistible.(RETAILER UPDATE)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] KEITH GRASSO THOUGHT he'd left the music business a year ago, but he could never really stay away. Every time he and fiancee Nicola Haverstick went on vacation, he'd find an excuse to shoot off on detours to every...

Meridian Winds in expanded location.(RETAILER UPDATE)
November 1, 2008... MERIDIAN WINDS has opened a new store in Haslett, Michigan, just a short drive from the University of Michigan, the University of Western Michigan, and Michigan State University. The new location features 3,500 square feet of floor space with...

Founder Bill Boyce named to "Hall of Fame": Piano & Organ Distributors.(RETAILER UPDATE)
November 1, 2008... KEYBOARD INDUSTRY veteran Bill Boyce was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Keyboard Insights Group (KIG) on October 5. Boyce is the founder and president of Piano & Organ Distributors, based in Durham, North Carolina, and Piano...

Five-Star Drum shops support "big beat" charity.(RETAILER UPDATE)
November 1, 2008... EIGHTEEN OF THE top percussion vendors in the industry have donated merchandise totaling more than $160,000 in retail value for the Five-Star Big Beat that will take place in nine cities in North America on Sunday, November 2, 2008. Each...

Owensboro Music celebrates 35th anniversary: locals turn out to pay tribute to long-running independent retailer.(RETAILER UPDATE)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] BEFORE THE INTERNET and Guitar Hero, before Bed, Bath & Beyond sold musical instruments, there was Owensboro Music in Owensboro, Kentucky. Founded on December 7, 1973, Owensboro Music traditionally celebrates its...

Accordions are more than a punchline: hi-tech Roland V-Accordion expands the popularity of the world's most derided instrument. Is there an opportunity here?(BOB POPYK ON SELLING)
November 1, 2008... Q. What's the difference between an accordion and an onion? A. No one cries when you cut up an accordion. Q. What do an accordion and a court case have in common? A. Everyone is relieved when the case is closed. Q. What's the...

The guitar as recording studio: in an industry where R&D is primarily about new paint colors, Ovation pushes the envelope with a radical new guitar that doubles as a self-contained recording studio and a complete educational system.(PRODUCT STRATEGIES)
November 1, 2008... Ovation Guitars and advanced technology have been closely linked since the introduction of the roundback guitar in 1967. The original design for the Ovation was hatched in the aerospace labs of Kaman Corporation and drew on the same vibration...

"Experience" PRS Guitars: two-day celebration of instruments, artists, and guitar making forges tight bonds throughout global community of PRS enthusiasts. New acoustic guitars and amps unveiled.(INDUSTRY MARKETING)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A TWO DAY EVENT FEATURING interactive factory tours, seminars, displays, artist appearances, clinics, and autograph sessions at the PRS Guitar factory in Stevensville, Maryland, attracted a crowd of more than 1,400...

Roland leads dealers on the "Road To Value": U.S. dealers tour Roland facilities in Japan and participate in rigorous give-and-take to help create new products and programs for a challenging market.(ROLAND PUSHES THE ENVELOPE)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ROLAND CORPORATION recently hosted a small contingent of leading U.S. keyboard retailers at the company's headquarters in Hamamatsu, Japan. During the weeklong stay, retailers toured Roland's extensive manufacturing...

Game Changed! Electronics are remaking the percussion world: advancing technology has changed the way drummers play, not to mention purchasing patterns and retail marketing strategies.(PERCUSSION)(Cover story)
November 1, 2008... Overall, U.S. unit sales of acoustic drumsets have been trending downward since 2005. Last year they dipped a whopping 18%, though they've reclaimed a bit of ground in 2008. Sales of electronic drums, on the other hand, have been rising...

Are Rock Band videogames and electronic drums good for the drum market? A roundtable of retailers, manufacturers and videogame makers weigh in on the critical issue of the day. How are electronic percussion products affecting the creation of new music makers?(PERCUSSION)(Discussion)
November 1, 2008... Already enormously popular, the Rock Band videogame just got another burst of momentum with the release of Rock Band 2. Featuring a new drum pad set controller made by Numark Industries' Ion Audio (see article on page 84), Rock Band has been...

Numark scores big with new Ion Audio videogame pad set: Drum Rocker controller pads help bridge videogame and music retail markets.(PERCUSSION)
November 1, 2008... The debate over music performance videogames' impact on the music products industry just got a recharge. Ion Audio's Drum Rocker drum pad set controller makes the wildly popular Rock Band game more realistic, more comfortable, and more fun to...

Creating 100,000 new percussionists: Percussion Marketing Council expands in-school "Roots Of Rhythm" initiative to dramatically grow the market for all percussion.(PERCUSSION)
November 1, 2008... While drummers are usually at the back of the band, the Percussion Marketing Council (PMC) is working to bring drumming out in front while creating more drummers. The organization has an ambitious plan to create more than 100,000 new drummers...

Tycoon rising: distinct manufacturing advantages and a shifting distribution landscape are transforming a former OEM-only supplier into a growing brand presence in the U.S. hand percussion sector.(PERCUSSION)(Company overview)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] China has been aptly called the world's factory floor. Even as skyrocketing domestic labor costs compound rising global prices for raw materials, energy, and shipping, the world's most populace nation will probably...

Konig & Meyer and Connolly tie the knot: seeking a long-term partnership, top European stand maker taps string specialist to build presence in U.S. market.(SHORT TAKE)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] AFTER MORE THAN FIVE DECADES of topping the sales charts in Europe with its line of innovative instrument and audio stands, Konig & Meyer is gearing up to attain similar market penetration in the United States. The...

Are MAP policies killing retail profits? A widespread lack of enforcement places dealers who play by the rules at a serious disadvantage. But do suppliers care?(GUEST EDITORIAL)(Interview)
November 1, 2008... A LONGSTANDING CUSTOMER of ours who had purchased thousands of dollars worth of gear over the years recently announced that he would never be buying from us again. In an angry email, he explained that an item we were offering on our...

Scott Robbins heads Harman Pro sales worldwide.(PEOPLE: MOVERS AND SHAKERS)
November 1, 2008... HARMAN PROFESSIONAL has promoted Scott Robbins from senior vice president of sales, Crown Audio, to group-wide vice president of sales. Robbins will work with brand-level sales executives to strengthen existing sales operations and to grow...

Specialists named to sales staff: Sonare Winds.(PEOPLE: MOVERS AND SHAKERS)
November 1, 2008... FOLLOWING A REORGANIZATION of its sales force, Sonare Winds will now operate with dedicated sales specialists who work exclusively for Sonare and its partner brands Keilwerth, York, and Schreiber. These new team members have strong backgrounds...

Angelo Belli new VP at Remo Inc.(PEOPLE: MOVERS AND SHAKERS)
November 1, 2008... ANGELO BELLI, M.D., has joined the Remo staff as vice president, scientific affairs and medical development. In keeping with the tradition of the Belli family and the ongoing agenda of Remo Inc., Angelo will be actively involved with Remo's...

Lowrey reorganizes sales team.(PEOPLE)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] LOWREY ORGAN COMPANY has taken several restructuring steps within its sales unit. Brad Bryan, Lowrey regional sales manager for the southeast territory, has been named business management director. In his new...

Scott Lombardo named vp of retail sales: Fishman.(PEOPLE)
November 1, 2008... SCOTT LOMBARDO has been named vice president of retail sales for Fishman. Lombardo will oversee business development, growth, and maintenance of Fishman's existing retail sales efforts (including a Fishman product placement "footprint" to...

Randall debuts Nuno Bettencourt amp and cabinet.(PRODUCTS: THE LATEST AND GREATEST IN NEW PRODUCT INTRODUCTIONS)
November 1, 2008... RANDALL AMPLIFIERS WILL debut the new Nuno Bettencourt NB100 amplifier and NB412 cabinets at the January 2009 NAMM Show. Nuno has been touring the world with this setup and is currently on tour in Europe. "There's a reason I have never...

Rico launches Reserve Soprano Sax Reeds: D'addario.(PRODUCTS: THE LATEST AND GREATEST IN NEW PRODUCT INTRODUCTIONS)
November 1, 2008... USING THE FINEST raw materials and precision manufacturing techniques, Rico has designed an elite new line of Reserve Soprano Saxophone Reeds. Using a technique pioneered by Rico, Reserve reeds are made exclusively from lower internode cane,...

Saga's J. Navarro classical guitar.(PRODUCTS: THE LATEST AND GREATEST IN NEW PRODUCT INTRODUCTIONS)
November 1, 2008... NEW FROM SAGA is the NC-40 J. Navarro guitar, the first model in a new line of mid-level, high-quality Spanish-inspired guitars that blend traditional materials and fine workmanship at an affordable price point. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...

Alesis iMultiMix 8 features universal iPod dock.(NEW PRODUCTS)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] THE NEW ALESIS iMultiMix 8 enables users to mix and record directly to the world's most popular music device: the iPod. This sturdy, compact all-in-one tabletop mixer and recorder features 100 studio-grade 28bit...

Supercharger Kits for acoustics and electrics: Graph Tech.(NEW PRODUCTS)
November 1, 2008... AN OLDER OR INEXPENSIVE guitar doesn't have to mean low-end performance with Graph Tech Guitar Labs' new SuperCharger Kits. Each easy-to-use upgrade kit for electric or acoustic guitar contains the right mix of Graph Tech's proven performance...

New Cowbell & Rainstick from LP music.(NEW PRODUCTS)
November 1, 2008... PERFECT FOR DRUMMERS with attitude, LP's New El Diablo Cowbell offers a "demonic" low fundamental with a "shrieking top end," cutting projection, and blood red finish inscribed with black graphics depicting The Horned One. Its visual appeal...

Smart Ass line expands with The Phat One: Ford Drum Company.(NEW PRODUCTS)
November 1, 2008... FORD DRUM COMPANY'S original Smart Ass musician's throne is already the choice of top drummers such as Carl Palmer. Its newest addition to the line, "The Phat One," features a seat top that's nearly twice as thick as existing models. Like other...

Music Minus One releases Vivaldi's Four Seasons for flute.(NEW PRODUCTS)
November 1, 2008... MUSIC MINUS ONE has taken one of the world's greatest classical pieces, The Four Seasons by Vivaldi, and had one of the world's finest flutists, Paul Fried, arrange and adapt the work so flutists everywhere can perform this work on their...

Heritage mouthpiece available for cornet: DANSR.(NEW PRODUCTS)
November 1, 2008... THE LONGSTANDING TRADITION of British brass bands and a wildly successful line of trombone mouthpieces has inspired the newest design in cornet mouthpieces from Denis Wick. The new Heritage cornet mouthpiece is receiving rave reviews from...

Yamaha intros Tyros3 Arranger Workstation.(NEW PRODUCTS)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] YAMAHA'S NEW TYROS3 Arranger Workstation keyboard is equipped with the most advanced instrument voices that Yamaha has ever created--Super Articulation 2. Tyros3 lets players simulate subtle sonic nuances and...

Premium guitar line set for debut: Mariner Guitars.(NEW PRODUCTS)
November 1, 2008... A NEW RANGE of premium handcrafted guitars debuts this autumn under the Mariner Guitars brand. Designed in Great Britain, Mariner guitars aspire to combine the time-tested construction techniques of past masters with a respect for modern...

Kala's new cutaway baritone ukes.(NEW PRODUCTS)
November 1, 2008... KALA BRAND UKULELE has released three exotic models of cutaway baritone ukuleles featuring Hawaiian koa, mango, and flamed/spalted maple. Trimmed with maple and mahogany binding, these ukes are fitted with a Shadow Nano-Flex Electronic system...

Majestic expands range of Concert Series mallet percussion.(NEW PRODUCTS)
November 1, 2008... A NEW SERIES of concert mallet instruments is due for release from Majestic this fall. The full line of marimbas, xylophones, vibraphones, and chimes carries on the legacy of craftsmanship established during Majestic's enduring 80-year history....

Portable violin stand from Peak.(NEW PRODUCTS)
November 1, 2008... THE NEWEST PORTABLE musical instrument stand from Peak Music Stands is the ST series of compact violin stand. This fully adjustable, ultra-lightweight violin stand features a high-grade aluminum frame. Both the height of the stand and its...

Upgraded 'Petine' Pianomation system: QRS.(NEW PRODUCTS)
November 1, 2008... THE NEWEST VERSION of QRS's best-selling Pianomation system, the Petine, features a slot-in drive and a sleeker look. This new model offers an advantage over the older tray-loading system in that there's less that can break or go wrong with it....

Portable display products unveiled: Billy Raygun.(NEW PRODUCTS)
November 1, 2008... SUCCESS IN THE MUSIC industry used to center around making sure your music was heard by the masses. MTV and the internet have changed all that: Now you need to be seen as well. That's where Billy Raygun Design comes in, with its new portable...

Collector's calendar returns for 2009: Schaller.(NEW PRODUCTS)
November 1, 2008... AS THE LAST PAGES are being tom from the 2008 calendar, a new 2009 calendar has been introduced by Schaller. This year's calendar highlights the new and innovative "Hannes" guitar bridge, expertly displayed on a fantastic guitar and brilliantly...

T-Rex Engineering unveils "Twister": Dana B. Goods.(NEW PRODUCTS)
November 1, 2008... RICH, VIBRANT, and shimmering, the chorus effect made popular in the '80s is now used by guitarists the world over. T-Rex Engineering introduces its own take on this legendary effect in the Twister, a chorus and flanger pedal in one. With...

New BG France catalog available: American Way Marketing.(NEW PRODUCTS)
November 1, 2008... BG FRANCE and its U.S. distributor, American Way Marketing, have released a comprehensive new catalog of BG's professional musical instrument accessories. Designed with BG's signature elegance, tile glossy, full-color catalog provides detailed...

Manka collaborates on signature amp: Trillium.(NEW PRODUCTS)
November 1, 2008... TRILLIUM AMPLIFER COMPANY and guitarist Aaron Manka have collaborated to design a one-of-a kind amplifier named for its creator. At first glance, this amplifier looks like a conventional 4x10 combo, but the cabinet actually houses two...

Big Bends counter display builds profits.(NEW PRODUCTS)
November 1, 2008... BIG BENDS GOT its start by keeping musical instruments in tune with its Nut Sauce lubricant. Over time the company has also introduced special formulated polish, fretboard conditioner, cleaning cloths, and even custom-cut PVC sleeves for...

Disturbed, Motley Crue guitar TAB songbooks: Alfred Publishing.(NEW PRODUCTS)
November 1, 2008... ALFRED PUBLISHING has released two new album-matching authentic guitar TAB songbooks from hit albums: Indestructible by Disturbed and Saints of Los Angeles by Motley Crue. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] American rock band Disturbed continues...

Best of Sher Real Books: Sher Music Co.(NEW PRODUCTS)
November 1, 2008... IN THE JAZZ WORLD, Sher Music Co. has an unparalleled reputation for producing the most accurate and hippest fake books ever published. Just released, The Best Of Sher Music Co. Real Books contains more than one hundred of the best-known tunes...

Reunion Blues merino wool straps.(NEW PRODUCTS)
November 1, 2008... REUNION BLUES has expanded its Prestige Leather gig bag line to include three new natural fiber guitar straps made from 100% merino wool. These new additions come in rich Designer Black (RBS-29), Pinstripe (RBS-28PS), and Chestnut Brown...

Rollins Guitar unveils the cutter: Magnetics.(NEW PRODUCTS)
November 1, 2008... KNOWN FOR PRODUCTS geared toward the beginner, Rollins Guitar has taken it up a notch with the addition of the Cutter to its line of acoustic and electric guitars. The cutter is a beautifully finished double cutaway electric guitar that...

The String Cleaner "Best In Show": ToneGear.(NEW PRODUCTS)
November 1, 2008... WHEN IT WAS INTRODUCED at Summer NAMM 2008, The String Cleaner won a "Best In Show" award. The String Cleaner extends the life and preserves the tone of guitar strings. It removes harmful substances including sweat and oils and keeps strings...

AxeMats available in new designs: Redland.(NEW PRODUCTS)
November 1, 2008... AFTER ADDING 50 new designs to its range of AxeMat premium guitar repair mats, Redland Music Products now offers 90 images from which to choose. With their high-resolution photographic images of popular guitar models, AxeMats make the perfect...

Legends of Jazz Series drumsticks: Vater.(NEW PRODUCTS)
November 1, 2008... VATER'S NEW LEGENDS of Jazz Series features stick models designed in collaboration with master jazz drummers Jimmy Cobb, Chico Hamilton, and Charli Persip. With over 1,000 albums recorded between them, Cobb, Hamilton, and Persip are musical...